Ever since 2010, Don Cheadle has been one of the most visible actors in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, replacing Terrence Howard to portray Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes, better known as his armored alter ego War Machine.
While promoting Avengers: Endgame, Cheadle provided details on a planned War Machine solo film that was being developed by Black Panther co-writer Joe Robert Cole before being quietly shelved by Marvel Studios.
"We kicked it around a bit. There was definitely going to be a lot of tension between his job as a military man and his allegiances to the code that he swore an oath to uphold, versus the changing world," explained Cheadle in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. "I think they probably would have run afoul of each other a little bit, but I don’t know if he would have been a straight fugitive, or if he would have become decommissioned. But there was definitely going to be some tension between those two worlds."
While the planned solo film didn't come to pass, Rhodey balancing his military career with his commitments to the Avengers would inform the character during his appearances in Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. Although he initially sided with the government by supporting the Sokovia Accords in the former film while refusing to apprehend Steve Rogers and his associates in the latter. What role the Air Force colonel plays in Endgame has yet to be seen.
Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, Avengers: Endgame stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, Karen Gillan, Danai Gurira, Benedict Wong, Jon Favreau and Bradley Cooper, with Gwyneth Paltrow and Josh Brolin. The film arrives April 26.